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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Today, marks 13 weeks and 2 days of pregnancy and we got to meet Mini Cooper for the 2nd time! This time, MC was a LOT bigger and we were impressed. They usually dont do ultrasounds at this week, but I personally asked my doctor and, well, she freaking rocks! She even let Grady, my husband, find the heartbeat using the Doppler. The heart rate was in the 160 range and baby was kicking and moving its arms and legs more than ever-we were so amazed! I am so surprised that you cannot feel the movement this early, but it was so precious. Our lil one even had its mouth wide open! Doctor said baby was very healthy and we are so blessed for this. My total weight gain thus far is one pound though my bump is starting to take shape and my abs are disappearing slowly.

Our next OB appt is in 4 weeks, however in 3 weeks WE WILL KNOW THE GENDER!!!!

You’ve probably been there: a new job, a new baby, an
injury, life happens, and you find yourself taking a long break from exercise.
(Personally, my divorce threw me off of my fit track.) When you finally begin
working out again, your body just doesn’t feel right - your lungs burn, your
muscles are sluggish, and you feel like you’re going to hurt something.

So when you’re trying to get back into shape after a
substantial break from fitness-related activities, should you ease into it or
should you dive in headfirst and shock your system? Whether you’ve been
inspired by a New Year’s resolution, an uncooperative wardrobe, or an
unfriendly bathroom mirror, this article will teach you how to get back into
shape quickly and safely after a break from exercise.

What Happens When You Get Out Of Shape

When you quit working out for 2-3 months, you lose at least
half your aerobic fitness as your lungs lose elasticity, your blood vessels
shrink, your blood volume decreases, you use oxygen less efficiently, and your
heart pumps less blood per beat.

And if that seems very inconvenient, you’re going to be even
more annoyed by the fact that your muscles begin to significantly lose strength
and disappear after just 72 hours of no exercise!

Why Getting Back Into Shape Is Hard

Just like a car that has been parked in a garage for several
years, your body needs a significant amount of warming up before you can take
it straight to high speeds on the highway. If you try to jump right back into
the same type of workout routines you were doing before you quit exercising,
then your body rebels against you in several ways:

Since your lungs have lost elasticity, you have to suck wind
much harder to get oxygen into your body, and this increased strain on your
inspiratory and expiratory muscles can cause the notorious side ache.

Since your blood volume has decreased, your blood vessels
are smaller, your cells aren’t as efficient at grabbing oxygen from the blood,
and your heart has to work much harder to pump oxygen to your working muscles.
So for any given effort, you feel as though your heart is pumping out of your
chest.

But that’s not all! With significantly less muscle to
support your exercising joints, and smaller blood vessels delivering the
ingredients for lubricating fluid to those joints, your knees, elbows,
shoulders, wrists, ankles, and hips can feel incredibly stressed when you try
to suddenly push them back into a workout routine.

How To Get Back Into Shape

But there’s good news: Your body is incredibly adaptive, and
within just 2-4 weeks of exercise, your brain learns to recruit more muscles
and move your body more efficiently. This is called a “neuromuscular
adaptation.” Within 4-6 weeks of exercise, your body has completed significant
anatomical changes that include increased muscle, wider blood vessels, higher
blood volume, and more efficient oxygen delivery.

The first 2-4 weeks of your workout program can include the
same exercises you were doing when you stopped exercising, but you should use a
substantially lighter weight and do fewer sets. For example, if you used to do
a machine-based exercise circuit consisting of 4 sets of 12 repetitions on 8
different machines, you would instead do just 2-3 sets for the first month, and
select a lighter resistance on the weight stack.

Since you also know that there is less blood flow for your
joints, you should extend your warm-up a bit longer than you normally would,
and also include a longer cool-down for your rapidly beating heart by including
light aerobic exercise and stretching until you’re breathing easily.

Once you’ve made it through those first 2-4 weeks, you can
then begin adding weight and adding sets, and by the 6-week mark, you can often
be back to the same weights, intensity, and time that you were doing before
your hiatus.

What about if you’re doing a specialized form of
cardiovascular exercise, such as running? The best strategy is to use hard-easy
intervals, such as run-walk intervals to get yourself back into cardiovascular
shape.

For example, 4 years ago, I injured my knee in a skiing
accident and was unable to run for 3 months. Once I could run again, I started
by going out for 30-45 minute brisk walks, during which I would run for a
minute every 4-5 minutes. Each week, I would run for a longer period of time (and
walk less) until I got to the point where I could run continuously for 45
minutes. This strategy allowed me to get back into shape without experiencing
the tortuous effort of trying to run for 45 minutes continuously after not
running for 3 months.

Ultimately, the take-away message is this: use the first 2-4
weeks to ease your body back into shape, then begin increasing intensity, and
by the 6-week mark, you will be feeling fit – instead of nursing sore and
injured joints!

I am a huge fan of BodyBuilding.com. Here is a great article
that you can read for getting back on the health wagon!
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/md70.htm

In a medium bowl, cream together the dry butterscotch
pudding mix, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg. Combine the
flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon; stir into the pudding mixture. Cover,
and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease
baking sheets. On a floured board, roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness,
and cut into man shapes using a cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on
the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until
cookies are golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks.

Looking back, if someone wouldve told me I would lose 45lbs,
I woulda laughed in their face. But I did it.

I get lots of emails about how to get started; Id say that
getting started and breaking your plateau are probably the two hardest parts of
weightloss. We as humans tend to be LAZY! Its just in us. We sometimes lack
motivation as well. When someone says, "Hey, Sia. How do I get
started?" I usually say, "WATCH FOOD INC ON NETFLIX!! IT'LL CHANGE
YOUR LIFE!!!" But then I was showering this morning and I got to
thinking.. Thats not enough motivation for some people. It was for me, but what
worked for me is not guaranteed to work for you or anyone else. You gotta have
to WANT it. You gotta have to WANT to try. Its not easy, but it does get
easier.

SO, Motivation is a big word. Without it, we fail. Here are
some other things that motivated me to lose weight.

Think about WHERE your food comes from and HOW its made.
When you are sitting in that drive thru at McDonalds, you order a bigmac with
some fries and a soda. Got the image in your head? Ok good. That meat came out
of the freezer right? So where did it come from before it was frozen and
heavily processed? You've got to be kidding yourself if you think it came from
a teeny little farm, cared for by a farmer. That was the old days. These days
its all about quantity-not quality. That "cow" if you can even call
it that anymore, came from a FACTORY where it was injected with growth
hormones, beat and abused, and neglected. The factory process is a very scary
thing-sometimes feces and other objectcs gets mixed up with the foods and thats
where people get sick. I tell you what, I havent touched fast food in over a year now and I have not gotten sick
one time anymore since then. Ok so you have that mental image of your
"meat?" Now think about the fries... Have you ever lost a fry between
the seats of your car-only to find it 7 months later-still looking like it came
out of the fryer? You ever WONDER WHY that is? Chemicals, baby. CHEMICALS!
Preservatives! Think about your body's reaction to that crap. How hard do you
think your body has to WORK to disintegrate that shit enough to TRY and get
SOME kind of nutrients from it? Poor body. And then that SODA. 12 tsps sugar is
in the average soda. Soda not only causes health issues such as diabetes but it
eats away at your natural stomach lining and your enamel on your teeth. Lovely.

When I wanted to start losing, I goolged pics of people whom
I wanted to look like and I would save the photos as my background on my
computer or store them in a folder. My favorites were the Victoria Secret
models. I wanted the body of one!! I also googled people like Arianny Celeste,
Jamie Eason, Jennifer Nicole Lee, etc. FIND YOUR MOTIVATION! YOU CAN DO THIS!

One smart choice leads to another. Always think: "Whats
the healthier alternative to this unhealthy food I like?" Im sure you will
find something thats healthier and taste better. Healthy food isnt always gross
I promise. Nor is it always expensive. Buy fruits and veggies in season. I like
those bags of frozen tilapia and salmon filets at Walmart.

READ THE LABELS ON
FOODS! The more ingredients it has, the worse the product is. Stuff you can not
pronounce are usually chemicals and preservatives. JUNK. You want to eat
natural food. Not something they had to add flavor or color too. Geez. You
might as well go to Toys R Us and buy the fake plastic picnic set and eat that.

LOVE YOUR BODY. Think of it as a machine or a car. I own a
2013 Ford Mustang and I only put PREMIUM gas
in it. I treat it like my baby. I would never put unleaded or cheap gas inside
of it. Because it is a nice car and it was expensive. YOUR BODY IS NO
DIFFERENT.

YOU ONLY HAVE ONE BODY SO MAKE THE MOST OF IT!!!!! You were bought
with a price, you were a miracle, so treat your body, your machine, with the
BEST calories possible. Your body is more important than any car. So put only
the best into it because what you put in, you get out. If you put trash in,
trash out it is.

I hope this made sense to everyone. I had so many things to
say this morning!! Im about to head to work but I hope this post helped you
guys somehow.. Losing weight is all a mind game.. You can do it.

Whisk eggs, half and half, pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla
extract, pumpkin pie spice, and walnuts together in a bowl. Soak one slice of
bread at a time in the pumpkin mixture, then place in the prepared skilled.
Repeat with the remaining slices of bread. Stir the pumpkin mixture between
dips to keep the walnuts from settling. Cook the bread until golden brown,
about 3 minutes on each side.

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly
incorporated. Let chill in the
refrigerator for half an hour. Once
chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!
Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Preheat oven to 425˚ and bring a medium/large pot of water
to a simmer.

In a pan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and pepper
until onion becomes translucent. Stir in garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, and
continue to cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add in black beans and cilantro, cooking
until beans are heated through- two to three minutes more.

Turn off pot of water. Taking one corn tortilla at a time,
dip in hot water for 3-4 seconds. Place on a cutting board and scoop one
spoonful of black bean filling and a hefty pinch of cheese on top. Roll tight
and place seam side down on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Repeat
until all the filling is used. Brush each piece with oil.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the corn tortilla is a light
brown color. Dip in salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.

With the recent death of one of my favorite morning show hosts of all time, Kidd Kraddick, I thought I would take the time to post his most famous recipe! I will definitely be making this recipe for Thanksgiving this year in honor of Kidd.

Ingredients

1 (18 -20 lb) whole turkey

2 stalks celery (roughly chopped)

1 carrot (roughly chopped)

1 onion (cut into quarters)

3 -4 crushed garlic cloves

olive oil

Directions:

Take everything out of the turkey. There will be a giblet
bag and some other stuff.

Next add vegetables to the inside of the turkey. You dont
even have to peel anything. This is easy because the veggies are just for
flavor -- you are going to throw them away later.

Take the onion and cut it into quarters.

Chop a nice long carrot.

Do the same with a couple stalks of celery.

Add several cloves of garlic that you mash between a broad
kitchen knife and the kitchen counter.

Throw it all inside the turkey

Then rub the turkey all over with olive oil -- not butter
because butter usually has salt in it and salt is the enemy of a moist turkey.
Make sure the whole bird is covered in olive oil.

Put the turkey in a roasting pan and cover it with a large
brown paper bag.

Staple shut. If you have a huge turkey use two paper bags at
each end. It wont stick to the bird because of the olive oil.

Sprinkle the bag all over with water.

Place into pre-heated 375 F oven. ON THE MIDDLE RACK.

The bag wont burn because paper burns at 451 and we're at
375 degrees.

The advantage of the brown paper bag over the reynolds
cooking bag is that the paper breathes so the turkey ROASTS. In the reynolds
bag the turkey STEAMS, giving it a different taste.

Roast for 13-15 minutes per pound.

When you think it's ready, shove a meat thermometer through
the bag and into the turkey and give it a minute to register. Make sure it
doesnt touch the bone.

The thermometer should register between 163-170 degrees

Remove from oven, cut away the bag and remove the basting
pan.

Do not throw out the drippings!

To make the gravy, strain the pan juices into a really big
pot. Any juices that accumulate on the turkey platter get poured into the pot.

Add six oz. of boiling chicken broth and 1/8 cup of corn
starch to the gravy to thicken it up. Cook on low heat and stir and cook and
stir.

If it seems it isnt going to be thick enough, add a little
more corn starch.

What about the talk that brown paper bags are unsafe for
cooking?.

If you mean unsafe because of fire, it is important that the
bag doesnt make contact with the heating element of the oven. If you mean
because of the recycled paper bag releasing toxins into the turkey, all we can
say is that this recipe has been around for over 30 years. We,ve been postonmg this
recipe for over 10 years and never had a single complaint that anyone got sick.
We've had hundreds of emails that this is the best turkey they've ever tasted
and the perfect recipe for first time chefs!

Everyone wants to look young and sexy. For both men and
women, one way to accomplish this is to have a large, firm backside. You get
this by making your butt toned and working the muscles of your backside. Here
are a few exercises to make your butt bigger.

3 Easy Exercises To Tone Up Your Butt

1. Squats are a very easy and effective way to work the
muscles in your butt and the back of your thighs. The further you spread your
legs apart, the more these exercises will work your backside. Go down as far as
you can. Some find it easiest to hold onto to something to help them maintain
their balance. Just make sure that your legs and butt are doing all of the
work.

2. Lunges also work to firm up your butt. If you are not
currently physically fit, you may have difficulty getting down low enough for
maximum effectiveness. Don't worry, start doing them as low as you are capable
of and work you way up to doing deep lunges. Once you have mastered them, you
can hold weights while lunging to increase your workout.

3. Hip extensions, or flutter kicks, are a great way to work
your upper thighs, butt and hips. This single exercise can completely change
the appearance of your backside. Having a big firm booty will not be very
attractive if it is surrounded by flabby hips and thighs. Named after the way
in which you move your legs while swimming, they can also be done effectively
while holding onto the side of a pool.

There are many other things you can do to improve the appearance
of your backside. These exercises to make your butt bigger are just a few of
the many that you can do. A combination of many exercises is you best bet for
getting the big, sexy butt you are looking for.

Christmas is around the corner and if you are in the Hattiesburg Mississippi area and are in need of a beautiful Christmas tree, then my grandparents, Bob & Mary, are the people to see! They have had their business, Shearer's Trees, for over 30 years now and are still going strong. They are such a cute and lovely couple and I am so happy to help them out! Tell them Sia sent you! :)

Ready to start living the clean life? Here's a great 48 hour weight loss jump start from Dr. Oz to help you get started! I also recommend my ebook as it will help you lose and transform, not just for short term, but life changing results!

The practice of detoxifying the body to rid it of unhealthy toxins has been around for centuries. Hippocrates recommended fasting to improve health, and many religious groups have historically used fasting as a way of purifying the spirit.

Today the marketplace is cluttered with detox diets that promise to help you lose weight, boost your energy levels and more. However, many popular detox diets, especially those that involve extreme low-calorie fasting, can rob the body of important nutrients and place the body in starvation mode, which actually slows your metabolism. Other downsides of many detox diets include: dehydration, fatigue, dizziness, nausea and even colon damage.

The Body’s Detox SystemOftentimes people don’t realize that the body has its own extraordinary internal detoxification system. Here’s a brief look at three critical organs involved:

The Liver: Your first line of defense against toxins is your liver, which acts like a filter in preventing toxic substances contained in foods from passing into your blood stream.

The Colon: This organ has bacteria that produce both healthy and unhealthy chemicals. You want to keep your colon flowing regularly since its main role is to flush out toxic chemicals before they can do you any harm.

The Kidneys: Like clockwork, the kidneys are constantly filtering your blood and getting rid of toxins in the form of urine.

For a detox diet to truly work, you need to maintain these three key organs by nourishing your body with the right nutrients. Dr. Oz’s 48-Hour Weekend Cleanse is based upon eating certain “detoxifying” foods that will keep these systems running smoothly. The plan couldn’t be simpler to follow so you’re not always focused on what to eat next. You'll need to prepare and eat the following meals and snacks two days in a row. To get ready for the weekend cleanse, print out the complete cleanse shopping list and make a trip to the supermarket. Print out the grocery list below!

Breakfast: Quinoa with Chopped Prunes

Ingredients

Makes 1 serving

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 cup water

1 pinch nutmeg

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tbsp flax seed oil

1/3 cup chopped prunes

1/4 cup rice milk

Snack Items: Detox DrinksEnjoy these healthy pick-me-ups in between meals throughout the day.

Kale, Pineapple and Ginger Detox Drink(Juicer required)This purifying beverage contains kale to cleanse the kidneys; pineapple, which has bromelain to aid digestion; and ginger to help stimulate bile flow in your gall bladder.

Alternate: Veggie SnackSlice and mix together celery, radishes and cucumber, or any assortment of fresh vegetables. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Put this crunchy cleansing treat in plastic baggies or a portable container so you can take it with you on the run. You can have as much of this snack as you want throughout the day.

Lunch: Fruit SmoothieIn a blender, whip up a nourishing smoothie that contains blueberries, loaded with quercetin, a flavonoid that boosts immunity and is good for your liver; bananas, full of vitamin B6, an essential vitamin for liver detoxification; and ground flaxseed, packed with brain-nourishing omega-3s and fiber for healthy elimination.

Dinner: Vegetable Broth Soup This purifying broth contains fennel to help bile flow in your gallbladder; garlic to help with liver and gall bladder function; cabbage, excellent for detoxification in both the liver and kidneys; and shitake mushrooms to boost liver enzymes. Serve soup with a side of sauerkraut with sliced apples. Sauerkraut contains probiotics, the good bacteria that protect your GI tract. Make sure to use traditionally fermented sauerkraut to get the greatest health benefits. Apples boost both kidney and liver function.

Monday, July 29, 2013

So I have seen this on Pinterest a few times and decided to start doing it since i found out I was pregnant! The idea of taking pictures of yourself weekly with a piece of fruit that represents you baby's growth is pretty COOL! It gives me a better idea of how big baby is, especially when I get to hold it in my hands.

Then when I see it through pictures, Im like WOW! Thats in my belly???:)

InstructionsSoak the steel cut oats in water for at least an hour. (Soak oat groats overnight.)Rinse and drain the oats, try to eliminate as much of the water as possible.Add all ingredients to a food processor and whiz until you get a dough-like consistency, slightly gooey and sticky.Roll into bite sized balls and place in the fridge, covered, for at least an hour.Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve chilled.

Symptom: Some sciatic nerve pain when I sit still for too long! And now it happens when I walk for long periods of time. Oh boy!

Missing: The feeling of NOT feeting bloated ha ha.

Looking Forward to: Our next OB appointment in 2 DAYS! :)

Sleep: Starting to become uncomfortable on my tummy and back!

Exercise: Still Lifting and cardio 3 times per week. Just because you are pregnant does not mean to quit :P

Eating: Healthy all the way!

I am starting to show and the abs are now starting to disappear but only at the bottom as my uterus moves upward. SO I took a TON of photos for this week's photo set because i was SUPER EXCITED about my progress :D

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Anyone know knows me, knows I love SUSHI! I like to make it at home. I like to eat sushi out. But sometimes making it at home can be time consuming and eating sushi out at restaurants can be expensive! So here's my solution-a sushi bowl! Basically, you take the ingredients you'd put in your favorite sushi roll and instead of taking the time to roll it, you throw it in a bowl. How cool does that sound?! Here's my favorite sushi bowl recipe based one one of my favorite sushi rolls of all time-the Cowboy Roll. This makes two bowls!

I used:

*1 sirloin steak or filet mignon

*Nori (cut into small bite sized squares)

*1 avocado

*Cooked white rice

*soy sauce

*sesame seeds

*spicy mayo (I make my own using Sriracha sauce & light mayo)

*green onions chopped (optional)

I sear the steak on the stove on medium heat for about 4 minutes each side. Cut it into strips. I season my steak with salt and pepper and soy sauce before cooking. Cut the avocado into bowl. Make the spicy mayo sauce. Put rice into each bowl and pour soy sauce and spicy mayo over rice. I half everything and put into two separate bowls. Topping it all with sesame seeds!

Tomorrow, will make 13 weeks of pregnancy for my husband and I tomorrow. Even though, I considered myself out of the 1st trimester last week, tomorrow marks the OFFICIAL day of my 2nd trimester! I am already feeling a lot more energy, but I still get tired sometimes as I run around a lot. My sleep is great despite weird dreams. I am still eating healthy with a lot less food cravings. Still keeping on with the same pre-pregnancy routine! However, I gotta admit my biggest craving has been sushi and pizza! My husband and I made a homemade wheat crust goat cheese pizza last week and it turned out fabulous! When I pose to take my "ab photos" I am noticing that the bottom of my tummy is starting to protrude more-even when I flex! Guess its time I start to show, huh?

I AM READY FOR MY BUMMMMP!

:)

This morning I made a delicious breakfast of 1/2 cup oatmeal (whole wheat), one banana, one carrot grated, 1/2 cup almond milk, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. This (besides Special K Protein Plus cereal) have been one of my favorite healthy breakfasts during pregnancy!

Tomorrow, I will follow an official chalkboard update for my 13th week.

Friday, July 26, 2013

As you should know by now, the recommended average weight gain for a pregnant women should be anywhere from 25-35lbs during the entire 40 weeks. Unfortunately some women double and sometimes even triple this, which leads to complications. Dont let this happen to you! Gain CONTROL over your cravings and establish a healthy regular eating schedule.

Make healthy snacks such as frozen grapes or apple slices with almond butter.

Try to make all of your food if possible! That way, you know whats in it. You are creating a whole other life at thus point and should be putting the best of the best into your body!

Eat fish! Yes they say to limit your intake, but just stay away from high mercury fish. Fish helps give your DHA to boost healthy brain cells and development. Fish is very good for you!

Eat plenty of fiber to avoid constipation, a common pregnancy symptom.

Put the snack cakes down.

Avoid caffeine. It will only make increase your chance for miscarriage in early weeks and make your baby very irritable when its born!

Tips to working out:

Dont stop! Pregnancy is not an excuse.

Try to do some type of activity at least 30 minutes a day.

If you lifted before pregnancy, you may continue to do so.

Listen to your body!

Get enough cardio-your body is now pumping 50% more blood!

Be sure to track your weight. It is very important to gain weight slowly and steadily to avoid stretch marks and health issues. Dont worry, you will be bloated towards the end of the day and wake up skinny. Its weird! But its mainly water weight.

At 12 weeks pregnant, I am still at my pre-pregnancy weight of 120lbs.

I owe it all to WILLPOWER!

This is me 12 weeks pregnant!

This is taken in the morning time.

Perfect abs, no bloating.

This is me at 12 weeks pregnant also. This is at night! Notice the bloating!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

During the last couple of weeks, the growing baby has put some pressure on my sciatic nerve causing pain when I walk, bend, and sit for long periods of time, making working very difficult! I have turned to yoga to relieve this pain & pressure and it works like a charm! I immediately feel relief!

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PLEASE NOTE: Following and/or participating in my blog, daily workouts, meal plans, and any tips or advice is solely your decision. I recommend checking with your physician prior to following any of the workouts or meal plans that I share. I am very open in sharing that I am not a health care professional, personal trainer, nutritionist, or counselor. I provide the workouts, meals, and tips that have worked for me based on my personal experiences.

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Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, photos and content, without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sia Cooper and Diary of a Fit Mommy with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.